Dear Santa, All I Want for Christmas in Houston Sports Is...

It's Christmas Eve, which means there are just a few hours left to submit your Christmas wish list to Santa Claus. I want to think that I've been good this year, and that Santa will get me everything that I want. So Santa, here's my list. I'll see you tonight.

15. Some of my fellow UH alums might disagree, but I'd really like to see Rice defeat Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday morning. It would be really nice seeing as how Rice started the season 1-5.

14. No triple digit loss season for the Astros. They can lose 99 games, but please, not another 100-plus lost season.

13. And while we're discussing the Astros, here's hoping the team doesn't deviate from its plan of building a roster of young kids who come up through the minors. So please, no wasting of dollars on mediocre free agents who can't make the roster of a real major league team.

12. Here's hoping the business operations side of the Astros catches up with the baseball operations side of the team.

11. Could my fellow media members please stop comparing Daryl Morey to Billy Beane until Morey's actually produced a few playoff teams - and that's not counting a team that depended on Yao Ming who was drafted by the previous regime. Beane's actually produced a few playoff teams in his years as GM while about all Morey's accomplished is convincing people he's a genius.

10. But while speaking of the Rockets, here's a wish: have you seen the Astros new uniforms which are kind of throwbacks to the team's original uniforms and colors? How about junking the team's current uniforms and going back to the Rocket's original colors and uniform look?

9. Santa, please don't let Gary Kubiak forget the existence of Andre Johnson once the playoffs roll around. I have this fear that Kubiak will go conservative and just run the ball and play it safe.

8. Lance Berkman, hitting coach at Rice. Let's make it happen.

7. How about letting the Houston Texans open up the roof of Reliant Stadium a few times?

6. Could you let the Houston Cougar basketball team make a run through Conference USA in its final season in the conference?

5. And Santa, I really want for the Minnesota Wild and Les Alexander to get over their pissing match and sign a new lease for the Aeros to keep playing at Toyota Center.

4. I'd really like to see Rice fans start showing up for sporting events that don't involve the baseball team.

3. And don't act so damn smug Cougar fans. It would be nice to see you guys show up for something while you're at it. And since you didn't show up for the 2012 football season, you can't count the 2011 season as proof of school support.

2. I hope that this season is finally the season that the Houston sports fans stop blaming refs, umpires, league commissioners, etc., etc. when a team loses. There doesn't always have to be a big conspiracy. Sometimes a team just loses.

1. And first and foremost, Santa, if it's not asking too much, I'd really like for AT&T U-Verse and Comcast Sports Net Houston to come to an agreement so I could watch the Rockets and Astros.